Monday, June 2, 2025

Opening Plenary | 8:30 AM –  9:30 AM 

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Senator | Rhode Island

Sheldon Whitehouse represents Rhode Island in the United States Senate, where he is fighting to position America as a leader in the clean energy economy and protect the Ocean State from the consequences of climate change.  As Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, Whitehouse takes on the fossil fuel industry and spearheads policies combatting the climate crisis and strengthening environmental protections.

Senator Whitehouse is one of the Senate’s leading climate champions.  He co-founded the Senate Climate Action Task Force to build support for action to address carbon pollution.  Whitehouse also shaped major climate components of Senate Democrats’ historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 

As a co-founder of the Senate Oceans Caucus, Senator Whitehouse plays a key role in crafting bipartisan policies to protect our oceans.  To confront the major challenges of ocean plastic pollution, he passed the bipartisan Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0 Acts into law.  The Senator also created the National Coastal Resilience Fund to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities while safeguarding wildlife habitats. 

Senator Whitehouse is leading the transition to a clean energy economy.  Whitehouse introduced the bipartisan RISEE Act to create a dedicated stream of funding from offshore development for coastal protection and resiliency.  He has also introduced the COLLABORATE Act to improve the offshore wind development process and get more affordable, reliable clean energy on the grid. 

In addition to EPW, Whitehouse is a member of the Budget, Finance, and Judiciary Committees. A graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Whitehouse served as Rhode Island’s U.S. Attorney and state Attorney General before being elected to the United States Senate in 2006.
 

Opening Plenary | 9:30 AM –  10:00 AM

Francisco Esteban Lefler
President of PIANC - The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure | Consultant on Management and Technology of Infrastructure

Francisco Esteban has been President of PIANC, The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure since 2019, after eight years as Chairman of its Maritime Commission. Francisco has a strong commitment to PIANC values, as a worldwide sharing knowledge Association in the field of sustainability and climate resilient maritime ports and navigation channels, inland waterways and recreation navigation and marinas, and with maintaining and expanding our global network of experts.

Since 1885, PIANC has been active, serving as the top partner for governments and the private sector in designing, developing, and maintaining ports, waterways, and coastal areas. PIANC's objective is to offer sustainable, efficient, and resilient infrastructure and management tools that are adaptable to the challenges of natural extreme events and climate change.

Francisco Esteban earned a master’s degree in civil engineering (ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos) by the Madrid Polytechnic University in 1980, and a master’s degree in construction and electrical engineering by the Army Superior Polytechnic School in 1986. Served in the Ministry of Defence (Navy and Army) for 12 years, and later in the Civil Service (Ports of Spain).

In 1994, he began his career in private sector technical services at FCC Construcción and ended his tenure in 2020 as technical director with global responsibilities. His focus during this time was on engineering support for worldwide tenders and contracts for civil works and singular buildings, with a strong emphasis on port and waterway infrastructure.

For the past five years, he has been combining his position as PIANC president with his work as an independent expert consultant, operating globally. Francisco Esteban takes part in technical and management events worldwide.